All In Your Head
by Dragons Chaotica
Summary: Edo and Ryou have difficulty sleeping after the Dark World. Edo has been angry since the return. Judai decides some closure is required. Yubel/Demon-Judai, Darkish!Edo, Ryou/Edo, Violence, I'm guessing a trigger warning for victims of physical abuse, Not graphic, but warning is there. Quick sum up, no sexual abuse or domestic, there is merely a revenge theme/scene..


Me: I'm pulling an all-nighter for no reason. So have some fun.

Edo. I'm in a story that isn't devoted to romance?

Me: Meh, tossed some in for flavor, but for the most part, no.

Edo: Hm. I'll take it. She owns nothing.

* * *

When Edo sat bolt upright in bed after the dark world. There wasn't always someone there to catch him, and calm him down. So usually he just tumbled out of bed. Usually ran into a few things on the way to the bathroom, where he would sit in the bathtub, with the cool porcelain against his bare back. After he was in place, he'd make an attempt to stop the phantom pain and the hyperventilation. For some reason, the bath was about all that helped these nights. Perhaps it was the texture, or maybe even just the shape. Perhaps it was the fact that it was a small place, and it reflected light, keeping him out of the darkness.

Once his breathing evened out, he would manage to stand, and get a washrag from the basket, run it under cold water, and press the cool rag to his skin, just beneath his sternum. Where the blast had hit.

It wasn't always Amon, but in a way it was. Even when the dream was Saiou taking his soul, those final excruciating moments where he felt his skin become ash. Followed, of course, by blackness. The look in Saiou's eyes was always 'The Light' not Saiou himself. He knew that much. Saiou was his friend, his brother. But in the dreams it wasn't 'The Light' it was that same look in Amon's eye as he ordered the killing blow. Edo didn't recall having ever felt physical pain that intense. It's why he still hurt and ached after the nightmares.

Tonight he wasn't alone. But he slipped out for his ritual anyway. His partner was tired, had things to do the next day, it didn't matter, this was a small matter, it would run its course. He'd already gotten an odd look when he'd mentioned that he kept a salt lamp on during the night. He really didn't think he'd be judged, no, not at all. Still, best not to come off as a total wreck.

Edo groaned lowly, touching the pleasantly cool rag to his overheated skin. The cold seemed to do something, perhaps remind him that his abdomen was still there? He didn't care, it helped the searing pain.

"So this is where you sneaked off too."

Edo sighed, bending over the sink, willing the bile back down, the pain wasn't quite gone yet.

He heard the metallic ping as a crutch was laid against the wall, then another. Felt someone lean next to him, felt someone brush the hair from his face. Another hand join the one clutching the rag.

"Still having trouble?"

Edo nodded, and looked over to see the man place a trembling hand over his heart. "You?"

"Yeah, me too. That lamp does help, by the way. I can work out where I am when I wake up."

"Didn't think so at first though?" Edo croaked slowly cooling down, slowly realizing he was alive, and all of his organs were in the right places.

"I thought it would be more likely to keep us up. It's a pretty soft light, I get it now."

"Anything I can do for you?"

"Aspirin. Aspirin helps the twinges in my lower body, deep breaths help the heart. What do you do?"

Edo swallowed, wetting his dry mouth and throat with water. "I stagger in here about once or twice a night, because sleeping makes me think I'm dead. I sit in the bathtub until I am under enough control to stop hyperventilating. Then I press a cold cloth to my stomach to remind myself it's still there. I feel like I should be in a ward."

"I do things like that too. It's okay."

"I don't think okay is the word for it."

"No, probably not."

Somehow they both agreed to go back to bed, silently.

"How's your back?" Edo asked quietly, taking the crutches from his companion.

"Sore!" The man laughed, wincing as he pulled his legs under the blankets.

"Aspirin helps?"

"Yeah."

"What's the doctor say."

The man smiled "A few more months and some extensive physical therapy and I'll be walking around here just fine."

Edo returned the smile "Nowhere else?"

"I think I'll just go into duel consulting. I….I love my deck. But I can't do it competitively anymore. The holograms…"

"….Flashbacks. Yeah, I know what you mean. I think I might just go back to the mind games. Maybe I'll write horror and get this out of my head. I don't think I really wanna duel like that anymore either."

"Shame, you were good."

"Yeah. You too."

"Night Phoenix."

Edo raised an eyebrow, tuning into an embrace anyway. "Night Ryou."

* * *

Holding true to their plans. Edo and Ryou left the pro-leagues. Ryou did online consulting a few days a week. Edo wrote some. Sometimes he just meandered. Sometimes he thought about using one of his PHD's, though lately he'd been considering culinary school. He'd found cooking was a nice outlet.

Ryou was right, he'd been out of his wheelchair and off of his crutches long enough to go to Duel Academy with Edo for a visit. Judai's company were usually there, Asuka had a teaching position, others worked on campus whenever possible. Proctors, teachers, tutors. Some had gone Pro, and still came back to help out. Shepard had housing for teachers, so he'd sort of just relinquished more space for his favorite group.

Truth is, this visit was a request. Judai had told Edo that there was someone here he'd want to see. Which was odd. Because Judai wasn't around that often, he wasn't in contact that often, and he didn't usually spring people on Edo like this. So it must have been important.

"Amon."

Edo whipped around to face Ryou "What? Why the hell would you just say that out of the blue?"

"I just saw him."

"Not funny." Edo felt the anger inside him, not at Ryou, but so help him, if he ever found that weasel, he'd learn what Edo felt every night.

Ryou just hummed uneasily.

Upon entering the dorm, Echo appeared out of nowhere to wrap her arms around Edo. They had become friends of a sort after his sacrifice in the Dark World.

"Fair warning." She whispered, obviously trying to hide joy.

"What is it? Why so happy?" Edo smiled

"You won't like it….But…Amon."

Edo turned on his heel, spun around her and into a darkened hallway.

"I feel bad. Being happy about it, but."

"But you feel the compulsive need to screw over the guy that died for you. Yeah." Ryou knew no good would come of speaking to Edo at this point, and left him to do his thing. He'd come back when he was ready. So he instead wandered over to the main group to join Asuka and Jun in conversation.

* * *

"Urgh. I cannot believe that slimy bastard is back. Who the hell let him out of his hole. Why would that even be possible?" Edo groaned, kicking the locker he was leaning on with almost no force, it was more stress relief.

"Slimy bastard? Really I expected better, Phoenix."

Edo didn't hesitate, like in the movies. His eyes didn't widen, his breath didn't catch while he waited for the man to say something else. He spun around and broke Amon's nose. End of story. Then he stood there and waited for the next comment.

"You hit me!" He sounded so shocked.

Edo drove the toe of his shoe into the soft part of Amon's stomach. He heard a crunch, and Amon spat out blood.

"And you killed me."

Never let it be said that Edo Phoenix wasn't a gentleman. He let Adrian stand up and wipe the blood off his face….well, some of it.

"It wasn't my main intention." Amon said crossly "You were just there."

Wrong

Amon doubled over the arm that had sent the fist into the already kicked area. As he fell, another crushing kick caught his shoulder and sent the other man spinning across the floor.

"Sorry I was there. But I intend to ensure you suffer the same terror in falling asleep that I do, you bastard."

"I thought you deserved a hit or two. So I let it go, but now you're getting a bit out of hand. How do you hit like that anyway?"

Edo snarled lowly "I was in various sports."

"Hn, well good for you. Now reign yourself in, okay. You're done for the time being."

"You know." Edo said airily "I really don't think I am."

* * *

By the time Ryou started to be concerned, Edo showed up. And then more people were more than happy to be concerned. Considering the man had shown up with a bruised lip and bloody knuckles.

While everyone ran around shocked "What happened, what happened?"

Edo strode over to Judai, who was quite obviously more Yubel than anything at the moment.

"Found Amon I see." Judai/Yubel said with a smirk

"I assume he was a gift, not a new way to piss me off."

Judai blinked, clearly stunned "Of course he was a gift, thought it might help."

"I doubt it did, but tit felt good."

Ryou cleared his throat at this point, "What the hell happened?"

Edo looked at him. And to be clear, it was scary. The usually vibrant blue eyes were flat, cruel. His lips twisted yet in a half snarl. "Amon is in a hallway unconscious, I needed to stop before I pulled his neck until it broke."

"Edo…"

"Ryou, I've never wanted anybody dead, but what he did to any of us he met…I…Literally flew into a rage. I've never felt so cold. Luckily, he's alive."

Ryou thought for a moment. The feral mask was receding, and he understood where Edo was coming from. He remembered how out of sorts everyone was, watching their friend die, watching Echo be sacrificed, having Amon smile at them when he passed.

Ryou looked up and met worried blue eyes. "If I was there, I'd have helped. But before either of us finish the job we have to go."

Edo immediately waved at Judai "It was wonderful to see everyone again. Soon we should meet again!" He let loose a dazzling smile and walked out with Ryou.

"Your lip?"

"Amon got one shot in."

"Is he dead?"

"I stopped short. He can join us in this wonderful world of nightmare. If he ever sleeps again."

"Do I want to…."

"I've always been good at mind games, he cries like a child."

* * *

The ending….Wasn't planned. But yeah, nothing happens to them. Imagine whatever you want happened to Amon, life or death, but Edo basically kicked the crap out of him.


End file.
